Natalie Portman, Seth Rogen debut new movies at Sundance Film Festival

PARK CITY, Utah (AP) — The comedy streak at the Sundance Film Festival continued Saturday with the world premieres of the art world satire “The Gallerist,” with Natalie Portman, and Oliva Wilde’s “The Invite,” a sharp look a crumbling marriage.

“The Invite,” which debuted at the Eccles Theater, marks Wilde’s third time behind the camera and first since “Don’t Worry Darling.” It received an enthusiastic standing ovation.

Will McCormack and Rashida Jones wrote the script for “The Invite,” in which a couple on the edge (Wilde and Seth Rogen) have their upstairs neighbors (Penélope Cruz and Edward Norton) over for dinner. The evening starts with awkward small talk and becomes a raw and revealing encounter that's funny and devastating at times.

“Several of the greatest moments of this movie were written by the cast,” Wilde said after the premiere. “We shot in order, which was incredible. … It was such a luxury.”

There was also quite a bit of improv, Wilde and Rogen said.

“I think there's a seven-hour movie that you would have liked," Wilde said.

Wilde has had a busy Sundance so far. On Friday night she helped debut the new Gregg Araki movie “I Want Your Sex,” in which she plays an eccentric artist and sexual provocateur.

Following “The Invite” was Cathy Yan’s “The Gallerist,” starring Portman as gallerist Polina Polinski attempting to make a name for herself at Art Basel in Miami, with the help of her assistant (Jenna Ortega), when she gets involved in a plot to sell a dead body. Zach Galifianakis plays an influencer and Da’Vine Joy Randolph is an emerging artist in the starry cast, which also includes Catherine Zeta-Jones, Sterling K. Brown, Daniel Brühl and Charli xcx (in her third Sundance movie ).

The Eccles also hosted the premiere of “Wicker,” starring Olivia Colman as a sardonic fisherwoman who commissions a basket weaver to maker her a husband, played by Alexander Skarsgård, who also co-stars in the Charli xcx movie “The Moment.”

All of the films are seeking distribution at the Sundance Film Festival, which runs through Feb. 1.

For more coverage of the 2026 Sundance Film Festival, visit: https://apnews.com/hub/sundance-film-festival

Jenna Ortega, from left, Natalie Portman, and Charli xcx attend the premiere of "The Gallerist" during the Sundance Film Festival on Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026, at Eccles Center in Park City, Utah. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Natalie Portman attends the premiere of "The Gallerist" during the Sundance Film Festival on Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026, at Eccles Center in Park City, Utah. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Olivia Colman attends the premiere of "Wicker" during the Sundance Film Festival on Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026, at Eccles Center in Park City, Utah. (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP)

Director Olivia Wilde speaks during the premiere of "The Invite" during the Sundance Film Festival on Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026, at Eccles Center in Park City, Utah. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Edward Norton, from left, director Olivia Wilde, and Seth Rogen attend the premiere of "The Invite" during the Sundance Film Festival on Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026, at Eccles Center in Park City, Utah. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Seth Rogen attends the premiere of "The Invite" during the Sundance Film Festival on Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026, at Eccles Center in Park City, Utah. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Alexander Skarsgård attends the premiere of "The Moment" during the Sundance Film Festival on Friday, Jan. 23, 2026, at Eccles Center in Park City, Utah. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Charli xcx attends the premiere of "The Moment" during the Sundance Film Festival on Friday, Jan. 23, 2026, at Eccles Center in Park City, Utah. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Audience members line up outside the Eccles Theatre during the Sundance Film Festival on Friday, Jan. 23, 2026, in Park City, Utah. (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP)

DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — Senegal 's parliament has approved a new bill that toughens punishment for homosexuality in the largely Muslim West African nation, the latest African country to impose harsh penalties against the LGBTQ+ community.

The new bill, which was introduced to parliament last month by Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko, describes homosexual acts as being "against nature.” It doubles the punishment for those convicted from prison sentences of one to five years to between five and 10 years.

Nearly all lawmakers voted in favor of the bill during Wednesday's plenary, with no opposition and three abstentions. It needs presidential assent before becoming a law, with Senegal’s President Bassirou Diomaye Faye widely expected to sign it.

In another change, the proposed law punishes what it calls the “promotion” or “financing” of homosexuality, an attempt to crack down on organizations that support sexual and gender minorities.

The fines for the offense were also raised to a maximum of 10 million CFA ($17,609), but the bill retains the offense as a misdemeanor rather than a crime. During the parliamentary session, ministers argued that the previous 1966 law was too lenient.

The proposed law classifies homosexuality along with necrophilia and bestiality under the “acts against nature” offenses. But it also punishes anyone who accuses a person of homosexual acts “without proof.”

Laws proscribing homosexuality are common across Africa: more than 30 of the 54 countries criminalize same-sex sexual acts. Senegal has joined countries like Kenya, Sierra Leone, and Tanzania, where penalties can include 10 or more years of imprisonment. In Somalia, Uganda, and Mauritania, the offense can carry the death penalty.

Rallies in support of the new legal measure have been organized in recent weeks by groups promoting Islamic values, and the police have cracked down on alleged gay people and arrested at least a dozen people.

The proposed law fulfills a campaign promise of the prime minister, who had tried but failed to introduce it when he was in the opposition.

A protestor chants anti-gay slogans during a demonstration against homosexuality in Dakar, Senegal, Friday, March 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Misper Apawu)

Protesters demonstration against homosexuality in Dakar, Senegal, Friday, March 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Misper Apawu)

Protesters demonstrate against homosexuality in Dakar, Senegal, Friday, March 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Misper Apawu)

Protesters take to the streets to demonstrate against homosexuality in Dakar, Senegal, Friday, March 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Misper Apawu)